The Lost Byakugan

Fugaku had a headache; he didn't expect Kirigakure to fool the Hyuga Clan with just a little trick.

But on second thought, he felt this might not be a bad thing. After all, it was the Hyuga Clan's forces that suffered great losses.

Combined with the fact that he led the Uchiha Clan and his subordinates to victory, this clear contrast was enough to illustrate the role of the Uchiha Clan.

Shintaro seemed to understand Fugaku's thoughts and thought to himself: 'It seems Fugaku still doesn't understand Konoha's high-level officials. The Uchiha Clan's good service will only make them more fearful...'

He was also the head of the Gojo family in a previous life, and it was clear that the conflict between Konoha's top management and the Uchiha Clan could not be resolved by doing a few good deeds.

Of course, it was impossible for him to express his inner thoughts, at least not too clearly.

"My condolences."

Fugaku sighed slightly, walked towards Tokuyo, and spoke.

Only then did he realize that Tsukisho's right eye socket was empty, and his entire eyeball had been gouged out.

Tokuyo ignored Fugaku, stood up, and walked directly towards several branch ninjas of the Hyuga Clan.

"Is this how you protect Tsukisho?!"

He scolded sternly, then formed a seal.

After the branch family begged for mercy but to no avail, they fell to the ground and wailed in pain.

Shintaro clicked his tongue, crossed his arms, and watched everything quietly.

Fugaku and Shintaro exchanged glances.

Although he couldn't stand this behavior, after all, it was the Hyuga Clan's family matter, and Fugaku couldn't interfere even if he wanted to.

The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was indeed highly coveted. Compared to the Sharingan, which required the Uchiha Clan's bloodline to unleash its true capabilities, the threshold for using the Byakugan was much lower.

Basically, after transplanting it and learning the control techniques, one could master it perfectly, almost no different from a typical member of the Hyuga Clan.

Although the Hyuga Clan's caste system was overly complicated, it was the final choice.

The branch family not only had to protect the main family but were also branded with the [Caged Bird Seal].

The [Caged Bird Seal] would limit the Byakugan's vision of the branch family, allowing the main family to control and destroy the branch family's brain nerves. It would also automatically destroy the Byakugan when removed or upon death.

The [Caged Bird Seal] mark would only disappear after death.

In this way, the branch family members would not only lose their Byakugan but also protect it. However, even with this system in place, the Byakugan was still lost this time.

Tokuyo punished the branch family members responsible for protecting Tsukisho, then approached Fugaku with a stern face: "Now... the Uchiha Clan should be satisfied..."

"I will be blamed and resign, and the remaining forces will be handed over to you."

He had lost his son in his old age and was disheartened.

Fugaku was pleased in his heart, but his face remained tense, and he spoke flatly.

"Why bother? If we hadn't gone to the battlefield, such a tragedy wouldn't have happened. So, reluctantly, I will take over the remaining forces."

There were a total of 5,000 troops on the southeastern defense line.

After Jiraiya was transferred, two thousand people were commanded by Minato on the southern front, and a thousand people were disbanded into small teams to form the rear defense line commanded by the clans.

Now, after two battles, the Hyuga Clan still had 600 people under its command, and the Uchiha Clan still had nearly 800 people under its command.

If both forces were under Fugaku's command, then the number of troops under his command would be hundreds more than before the war.

So he was naturally pleased deep in his heart.

Tokuyo first disposed of his son's body. There were no coffins on the battlefield, so stretchers and white cloth could only be used as temporary morgues.

Then, he wrote a letter and sent it to Konoha, returning to Konoha with his son's body.

Fugaku was busy in various positions, mobilizing troops and consolidating defenses.

But what awaited him was a transfer order.

"Hyuga Tokuyo resigned, and Nara Shikaku was transferred to the southeastern defense line to take over the former Hyuga Tokuyo's troops."

"Damn it!" Fugaku was rarely so angry.

He wasn't angry at Shikaku, who had taken half of his command, but at Konoha's top management who made this decision.

Konoha's top management seemed to fear that the Uchiha Clan would gain more power, so they didn't hesitate to transfer Shikaku from the Western Front, where the troop strength was very tight, to divide the military power controlled by the Uchiha Clan.

"One day... I will take back everything that belongs to the Uchiha Clan..."

Fugaku also planted a seed in his heart, and Shintaro saw it.

"Shikaku-sensei is coming?" Shintaro asked knowingly.

He had already read this transfer letter beforehand.

Fugaku recovered from his previous bitterness and hatred, raised his head, and smiled wryly: "Yes, he will take over Hyuga Tokuyo's previous position."

"Then, we might join Shikaku-sensei to launch a counterattack." Shintaro said.

Fugaku also found some comfort in his heart, "At least he is a smart person."

❀❀❀

At the same time, in the Kirigakure fortress near the coast of the Land of Fire.

A man lay on the operating table with his eyes closed.

This man was Ao, the person in charge of the fortress.

"Ao-sama, the operation was successful."

The medical ninja beside him woke Ao up.

Ao slowly opened his eyes, and his right eye suddenly turned white.

He slowly stood up. The difference in vision between near and far, coupled with the effects of anesthesia not fully wearing off, made him almost fall. Fortunately, the medical ninja beside him supported him.

Ao closed his right eye, which had not yet adapted, and propped himself up on the operating table and said, "Go, find me an eye patch first."

Only when the medical ninja brought an eye patch and Ao put it on his right eye did he feel more comfortable.

He left the operating room, and many ninjas were waiting outside the door to congratulate him on the successful operation.

Ao had now become the center of attention in Kirigakure Village. He led a thousand troops in the fortress to launch a surprise attack, damaging Konoha's defense line and winning the village's attention.

The Mizukage gave him the Byakugan.

Therefore, many people wanted to curry favor with Ao.

In the distance, a blue-clothed girl with long reddish-brown hair joined in the fun and stood on tiptoes to look, "It's the Byakugan. It's all covered, we can't see anything. Boring."

The blue-clothed girl was naturally Terumi Mei.

Terumi muttered a few words and left, and she could see the Byakugan's activity. As for flattering Ao, she didn't have this option at all.

"The Hyuga Clan took a hard hit, but the Uchiha Clan defeated us. Indeed, the Uchiha Clan is still stronger."

"Uchiha..."

"That stinky Uchiha Shintaro should be here too..."

The handsome boy suddenly appeared in Terumi's mind since the two met in the Land of Waves, she could never forget this figure again.

"Hmph! What am I thinking? I'll go on patrol."

Terumi then left the fortress and patrolled according to the mission's requirements.